Q: What's in your share this week?
A: A whole lot of spring greens! Greens should keep for at least a week, in the refrigerator in an airtight bag/container. All fresh leafies (whether cooked or raw) are delicious with a simple olive oil and coarse salt dressing -lemon juice or vinegar optional-- start simple when you encounter a new vegetable, and then decide how you want to lively it up the next time, once you've gotten to know it better. Let me know what delicious preparation methods work for you.
Baby Salad Mix- a blend of 4 different baby lettuces, mizuna, red Russian kale, Asian greens, mustard greens, and beet greens
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Beet Greens- the thinnings from our spring beet patch, some of these even have baby beets attached! Use beet greens any way you'd use spinach or Swiss chard- my favorite way is a simple saute in olive oil, with garlic or onion (try chopped garlic scapes!), dressed with a splash of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and crumbly goat cheese. Also delicious in eggs, in salad, or in a beet greens-asparagus lasagna!
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Kale! "No one could imagine a CSA without kale" -David Hambleton, CSA farmer at Sisters Hill Farm in Dutchess County, NY. And it's true. We've had requests to go easy on the kale AND requests for more and more kale. I think we'll keep the kale coming, but at some point this summer, it will become optional- i.e. kale available, but as an optional extra; pick up if you like, leave it if you don't. (Technically that's true for everything in your share, but I wanted to make a special point of NOT overwhelming folks with kale. There it is- it will be officially optional soon)
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Green Garlic AND Garlic Scapes- what? scapes already? Yes, lots of things were brought on early by the strangely warm early spring, including garlic. Normally you'd see just green garlic this time of year, with scapes a few weeks out, but we've got them! So you do, too. So... what is a scape, anyway? It's the flowering stem of a garlic plant. It grows up in the center of the plant, and we pick it for two reasons. One is to eat (use it just like fresh garlic; tip and all), and the other is that it directs the plant's growth into making a bigger bulb, rather than flower. And Green Garlic is an immature garlic plant, before the papery divisions between the cloves start to form- we offer the entire plant at this stage because you can use it all! Chop the bulb, stem, and leaves, and use just like fresh garlic (because it is). Scapes and green garlic will keep for weeks in the fridge, in an airtight bag. Scapes last a little longer; the green garlic will start to yellow after several days, still useable, but lovelier when it's green! FAVORITE scape recipe: Garlic Scape Pesto! In a food processor, combine a lot of scapes, some pine nuts or walnuts, olive oil, salt and pepper, and process til it's smooth enough for you. Taste- adjust seasoning if necessary. Stores for months in the fridge (if you can resist it that long).
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Radishes- the first of these spring beauties; you'll see more this season. Not really a radish lover? Try them with salt- here's what I do: trim and wash radishes. Cut in half, cut side up. Sprinkle with fine sea salt, let set for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy. The salt cuts whatever bitterness might be there, and brings out the flavor. One of my favorite spring treats: coarsely chopped radish, well salted, on top of a toasted bagel from Frida (Hannah Israel's new cafe in Suttons Bay!), with cream cheese. Yum! If you don't plan to eat them within the week, be sure to remove the tops before storing- otherwise the leaves will transpire moisture out of the roots, leaving you with limp radishes. ech.
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As promised, a lot of greens, and an easy start (hopefully easy to use the whole share within the week- something that may present a challenge in the months to come). I hope you'll enjoy your adventure through the season with us. In the weeks to come, you can look forward to more kale, swiss chard, *possibly* spinach if the heat didn't make it all bolt, more salad mix and radishes, kohlrabi, scallions, dill, more garlic scapes, leaf and romaine lettuces, favas, and peas! (pea plants are still pretty small- we may cut it close with the weather- peas love cool temps, so no guarantees of gobs and gobs of peas like last year- remember that cold, wet spring? Peas loved it) And always, we may surprise you with substitutions, extras, and/or practical jokes.
If you need any transplants for your garden, check with your farmers; we may have extras that you need.
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Thank you SO MUCH for being part of the farm and supporting us this season. Buon appetito!
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